Numerous studies and literature have shown that sleep has a wide range of effects on the human body. In addition to affecting physical health, it may also lead to cognitive decline, irritability, and depression risk.
New York, NY (Merxwire) – Generally speaking, sleep accounts for one-third of life, and some people feel that this is a waste and do not want to spend their time sleeping. However, the daily bedtime is an important time for physical and mental rest. Many studies have shown that lack of sleep can affect cardiovascular health, reduce cognitive ability and memory, and even lead to the risk of irritability and depression. Therefore, the importance of sleep deserves everyone’s attention.
Sleep & Cardiovascular Health
How much time do you spend sleeping every day? Some people sleep only 3 to 4 hours a night, and some sleep 6 to 7 hours a night. Research shows that the latter has better cardiovascular health data. According to a study by Henry Ford Hospital in the United States, sleeping too long or too short may increase the risk of heart disease. Researchers have found that sleep can play a role in cardiovascular risk in the same way as diet, smoking, or exercise. It is recommended that a suitable sleep time is 6 to 7 hours.
Sleep linked to memory formation
Research by neurologists at the University of Michigan shows that lack of sleep can inhibit memory formation. The research team of Sara J. Aton and James Delorme found that lack of sleep can disrupt neuronal activity and memory consolidation in the hippocampus, making it difficult to store long-term memories.
Sleep affects cognition
Scientists have found that older adults who sleep less than 5.5 hours or more than 7.5 hours a night have reduced cognitive abilities, and proper sleep duration can help maintain the brain’s cognitive function. The most obvious symptom of Alzheimer’s disease is cognitive decline. Washington University Sleep Medicine Center recently found that even considering the effects of early Alzheimer’s disease, sleep time is too little or too much, older people’s cognitive abilities have declined. The research results were published in the Brain journal.
Lack of sleep makes you angry
A study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology: General in 2019 showed that sleep restriction could amplify anger. Researchers recruited 142 community residents, who were randomly assigned to maintain or restrict their sleep for two days, and rated their anger and emotions. The result of the experiment is that anger is usually exacerbated under the condition of restricting sleep. This finding emphasizes the important influence of lack of daily sleep on anger.
Sleep Time & Depression Risk
According to research published in JAMA Psychiatry, if a person usually goes to bed at 1 am changes to going to bed at 12 midnight, and maintains the same sleep time, the risk of depression can be reduced by 23%. If he goes to bed at 11 pm, he can reduce the risk by about 40%. For people who are born to get up early, if they go to bed earlier, will they benefit more? No one currently doesn’t know. But for those in the middle range or night range, falling asleep early may be helpful.
Sleep helps reduce calorie intake
According to a study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, increasing sleep time can help reduce calorie intake, with people who slept longer than they previously slept reducing their daily calorie intake by an average of nearly 300 calories. The findings suggest that improving and maintaining a healthy sleep schedule may be part of obesity prevention and weight loss program. The researchers say this is a major finding of losing or maintaining weight.
Insomnia can cause many physical and mental problems. Physiologically, insomnia may cause issues such as the body’s metabolic capacity, the decline of the immune system, and the lack of memory and concentration. Insomnia may also cause emotional anxiety, depression, easy anger, and other problems. Therefore, please pay attention to insomnia! In addition to trying to improve the quality of sleep, you should seek the help of a doctor.